Back To Basics
by Blue Obsidian Butterfly
Summary: There was no way he was ever going to live this down. Castle sighed, running a hand over his tired eyes hoping to erase the past few hours. When he opened them the words remained in place, the blinking of the curser taunting him. Cute little Caskett oneshot


**Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing them for a few minutes, I'll put them back when I'm done.**

**A/N: It has been a long time since I have written for Castle so forgive me if I'm a little rusty.**

Back to Basics

There was no way he was ever going to live this down.

Castle sighed, running a hand over his tired eyes hoping to erase the past few hours. When he opened them the words remained in place, the blinking of the curser taunting him. He glared at it before shutting the laptop, perhaps a little harder than was strictly necessary. Even though he could no longer see the words (which would never again see the light of day) they remained, turning themselves over in his head.

Once upon a time.

Ug, how could he have stooped so low? The book deadline was creeping up on him and without a single word of the new Nikki Heat Christmas novella written he had resorted to...well that. But only temporarily until he could find something suitable. It had barely led to a thousand words but that was a thousand more than he previously had and, unfortunately he couldn't change it now meaning he would have to start again.

But he did not have writers block. Absolutely not. He was just...finding a new place to start. Yeah that was it. He could practically feel the eye roll Beckett would give him had she been there (and for once he was immensely glad she wasn't.)

Coffee, he just needed a cup to wake himself up a bit. Castle barely spared the graveyard of cups already littering his desk a glance (his favourite batman one had been the first) before he shuffled into the kitchen. Sadly the pot had gone lukewarm and the time passed in a blur while he made a new one. Finally his cup was full and he gave a contended sigh as he drank. It wasn't until his third mouthful that he realised it was now dark outside. A quick glance at the clock confirmed his suspicions: it was well after nine. It wasn't unusual for him to lose time while he wrote but he usually had something to show for it.

A banging sound outside his door caught his attention and he listened, far less concerned about its origins than he probably should be. The door opened and Beckett strode in, still dressed in her work clothes. She had her keys in one hand and file bag and umbrella in the other, somehow managing not to drop anything. Kate caught sight of him and she smiled before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

Castle glanced down at his attire, which consisted of green Hulk boxers and a faded batman shirt, slightly rumpled under a dressing gown that had seen better days. He shouldn't be embarrassed, after all she had seen him in far less but with his current mood he couldn't help feeling slightly ashamed. Kate, having successfully shaken the rain from her umbrella had removed her coat and boots, tucking them into the closet by the door before making her way to him, dropping her bag on the kitchen island as she went. He had a faraway look in his eyes and missed her approach.

"Hey Babe" she said, catching his attention as she wrapped her arms around him. Her expression was equal parts amused and concerned; had he really been tuned out that long? He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He always loved it when she called him that, the way it rolled so easily off her tongue.

"Hey" he replied when they pulled apart, resting his forehead against hers.

"You Ok?" she asked, giving him a similar look to what she gave Esposito and Ryan when she wanted to know something although this was a lot softer, more concerned.

"Mmmm, fine" he replied, her close proximity distracting him even after all this time. Wondering what she would feel like under his hands was one thing, Knowing well...that was another story. Not to mention the fact that she was his, something that still managed to catch him off guard sometimes. It was then that Kate put the pieces together, realising why she recognised his forlorn expression.

"Alright, I'm going to shower" she said, trying to sound as normal as she could manage. If she was right then...

"Alone" she added when his eyes darkened, knowing what he was going to suggest. For a second she regretted the crestfallen expression that made its way onto his face but it had to be done. He tried not to sigh as she left his arms, watching her walk away (and was it just him or was there an extra little sexy sway to her hips?)

It wasn't until fifteen minutes (and a rather nice Beckett-shaped-daydream) had passed that he realised he hadn't heard the water turn on. But she had gone to shower...

Oh no.

He rushed into his office but it was too late: his laptop was open and perched on top of a (rather nice) pair of legs as Kate was intently reading something on the screen. She looked up as he came barrelling in, eyes widening in surprise as her brows furrowed together adorably. It distracted him for a second and that, combined with the shock caused his brain and mouth to lose contact.

"I...but...you...me"

She laughed, unable to help it and shook her head at her adorable man-child of a fiancé. The man in question took a deep breath, speaking slower.

"I deleted that" hadn't he?

"What, this?" she asked, turning the screen around to face him. Involuntarily his eyes immediately found the words, standing out like a beacon in what might very well be the worst thing he has ever written. The expression on his face confirmed her suspicions and she stood, setting the laptop down and wrapping her arms around him, his own automatically wrapping around her in response.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked gently. Over her time with him she had come to learn that despite his child like personality he was hard on himself when it came to writing, sometimes more than necessary and the pressure got to him. She wanted nothing more than to take away the dejected expression on his face but first she needed to know exactly what the problem was.

"Everything" he replied, his voice coming close to a whine but she shook her head, refusing to accept the answer.

"Kate it's terrible" he mumbled and for a second he looked like a lost child. It tugged at her heart and she and she pulled him closer. He responded, nuzzling against her neck.

"Why is it terrible?"

It was almost a full minute before he responded, the quiet sounds of their breathing filling the room. He mumbled the words that had become the bane of his existence against her neck. She pulled back to look at him, trying to hold back a laugh. Really, that's what he was worried about?

"Once upon a time. What's so bad about that?" she questioned. His expression was replaced by shock and despite the situation she couldn't help but find it kind of cute.

"What do you mean 'what's so bad about that?' Kate this is serious, it's one of the most overused, cliché phrases in modern literature. It's mere use has spelled death for many a writing career, the critiques would eat me alive"

"So prove them wrong" she shrugged, kissing his cheek. His eyes suddenly lit up, an imaginary (either that or she was way more tired than she thought) light bulb going off above his head.

"You're not coming to bed tonight are you?" her words were completely lost on the author who, with all the enthusiasm of a kid at a candy store tore the laptop from its place on the desk and began typing away furiously. Despite his distraction she was glad to see him writing again and not worrying over the past few months. Kate watched him for a few moments, enjoying a sight she never thought she would see again.

Knowing nothing short of the apocalypse could pull him away now she collected up all of the used mugs (seriously? why couldn't he just refill it?), returning a few minutes later with a fresh cup which she gently placed next to him before retreating to the bedroom.

At two thirty am he crawled into bed next to her stories, laptops and deadlines long forgotten. 'Thank-you Kate' he mumbled into her hair as they both drifted off to sleep.


End file.
